It goes without saying that the tour guide must be pleasant, enthusiastic, responsive, informative, and an effective communicator. Our guide-- Emek-- was all of these things. But what one really wants from a tour like this is a guide who can answer all of one's questions satisfactorily. That is not so common, in my experience. Emek did so. And then some. Highly recommended.
We took this wonderful tour with Emek, who is a city planner himself. He explained the city to us very well and has a lot of knowledge about architecture and the history of Helsinki. All in all, it was a really great city tour that I recommend to everyone. Thank you very much Emek., I can highly recommend the tour
Great tour. Very knowledgeable and nice tour guide. Good length, and good insights into Finnish architecture and culture. Would love to do more. With special themes perhaps. Highly recommend.
We thoroughly enjoyed our “Helsinki Tram Tour” with Ataman Tours. Our guide Emek gave us a unique perspective on the city through the use of Helsinki’s trams. His informative take on the city’s transportation, architecture, history and culture provided us with a better understanding and appreciation of Helsinki and of Finland. We were able to navigate the city more easily after the tour and would definitely recommend his services.
You will fall a little bit in love with Helsinki when you take a tour with Emek. An intimate look into this fascinating city and people, we discussed social, economic, political, cultural and language elements of history and modern life on a private tram tour. Emek is a fun, affable and knowledgable man, you’ll have a great few hours and really start to understand the city. Kiitos upeasta ajasta Emek!
Emek was highly knowledgeable, Filled with fascinating architectural information about Helsinki and all the architects he discussed. Excellent choices of buildings to show us on the tour. Highly recommend this tour for anyone visiting the city. Excellent tour, and my group of eight was blown away with his knowledge and love for Helsinki. Our group asked so many questions and he knew the answers to all of them.
Emeka was an excellent guide, he tailored the tour to our interests and knew a lot about the Finnish language, the buildings, and the social history. We learned a lot, even the guest who grew up in the city learned new things! Thankyou very much
We had a wonderful time with Emek during this walking tour. He planed the trip in a super considerate way and walked us through the whole history of Finland and Helsinki. He also customized the tour based on our interests, answered every question we had and provided some very fun facts about Finnish language and their life style. I highly recommend the trip to everyone who’s visiting Helsinki. No matter how many times you have been here, you will still find some new interests in this experience.
Emek was a fantastic, knowledgeable guide. He took us to spots we would have never known about and answered all of our questions on Finland with ease. The tour was engaging, didactic, and uplifting. The city planning/ architectural perspective provided a fascinating lens. The endpoint (no spoilers) was our favorite part. Emek's thoughtfulness made the tour Unique.
Emek is so personable and knowledgeable about Helsinki and its history, and excited about its future - it’s hard not to get excited about it right along with him! It was a white-out snow day on our tour and he checked in with us throughout on our comfort and readiness, and adjusted the tour deftly to accommodate delayed trams, obscured views, and tough walks through the quickly piling snow. You will not regret learning about Helsinki and Finland on this fantastic tour with Emek!
Emek was an outstanding tour guide and it was a very enjoyable experience. I genuinely wanted to take him on all the rest of our adventures so we could continue learning through the rest of our trip. The tour was organized, insightful and inspiring. I highly recommend this be a part of your Helsinki experience!
-Paws down, the best way to have started our vacation.. Time spent with Emek!
My mother, sister and I booked a tour with Emek on Friday (9/23/2022) for the 10am tour and ended up being lucky enough to have Emek to ourselves. It was our first full day in Helsinki and we wanted to get to know the area before exploring more on our own and it was well worth it; Emek has vast knowledge of just about anything and everything, in regards to Helsinki; it’s history, who’s who, it’s buildings and structures, the Finn way of life and knowledge of Finland as whole. (Amongst other things; pretty sure he’s a genius though because he’s absolutely brilliant and will not hesitate to roast you, with a few quips. And I approve!)
Be sure to make him uncomfortable by tipping him at the end; as that is NOT the Finn thing to do. He’ll most likely insist on declining.. but I prevailed. Success! (And worth it.)
Kippis to Emek and for making the first day of our girls trip one to remember!
My boyfriend and I signed up for this tour online but had no idea how absolutely wonderful it would be. Emek was fantastic! His knowledge of Finnish history,... read more his insights into the culture and his passion for this country were just awesome! His outgoing, humorous and friendly demeanor made our time touring Helsinki together just terrific! Thank you, Emek....you were great!!
heymin7 March 13, 2020
Emek is knowledgeable and we learned so much in a relatively short amount of time. His education and background make him the perfect guide to host this tour. He... read more only books smaller groups, which makes it comfortable and allows for a discussion within the learning experience. I would recommended his tour for anyone interested in learning about Helsinki and the Finnish culture!
Travelswithwifeypoo March 11, 2020
I'm really glad I joined Emek's tour of Helsinki - it was the perfect morning and it gave me a good insight into the history of the city using some... read more of its key spaces as prompts. I though the tour was very well organised and Emek himself was not only knowledgeable but also very personable and created a welcoming atmosphere to the tour. I think it's one of the best guided tours I have attended in the last years and highly recommend it!
mikkiol March 28, 2020
If you want to see all the important sights and enjoy a very personalized tour, then you have to book with Emek! We were a small group of 6 and... read more the weather was rainy, cold and windy, but Emek managed to switch up the tour with outdoor and indoor places to see so we could get warm and stay dry. Thank you again, Emek! 100% recommend
MelinaW14 February 28, 2020
Emek was wonderful and so well-informed. We went on a 2-week trip across Sweden, Finland, Denmark, and Norway. We only spent 1 day in Finland and spent it with Emek... read more on his tour. To this day we talk about our biggest regret which was not spending more time in Helsinki all because of Emek. This really was the most memorable part of the vacation. We learned so much and saw so much which is the best thing you can ask for if you don't have a lot of time. We can't wait to go back to Helsinki and will definitely will be rehiring Emek to take us around.
maryeugenia0 April 20, 2020
Our group had a wonderful experience today with Emek. His appreciation and enthusiasm for the city brought a unique perspective to the city and his in depth knowledge helped us... read more to appreciate how truly special the Finnish culture is.
ChrisM4645 February 29, 2020
Emek is very knowledgeable about Finlnd and Helsinki history and can tell you a lotFinnish culture and traditions. Really enjoy the experience, as a foreigner, it's a good way to... read more learn the city, the people here and some interesting facts. And he can recommend some good cafe too. Good choice for people
who come to the city for the first time
383zo February 6, 2020
I had no expectations or basic knowledge of Helsinki. I just wanted to discover the must-to-see. And I could do it with Emek! I was actually glad to have an... read more insight of history and culture of the whole country by walking around Helsinki. The city itself is beautiful and interesting, and Emek knows how to show it very well in a nutshell. I loved every step of the tour and his explanations and personal experiences as an expat. It's very interesting to see the city from the point of view of an expat. The final stop of the tour was my favorite part! Definitely recommended
Brujita1325 August 15, 2020
My wife and I signed up for this tour online to get closer to Helsinki on our short in between Corona trip. Emek is the perfect tour guide: his knowledge... read more of Finnish history, his insights into the culture and his passion for this country were just awesome and time passed almost too fast. His friendly, humorous and open demeanor made our time touring Helsinki together just matchless. Thank you, Emek....you are great!!
SlowFooder July 29, 2020
We had a wonderful tour with Emek. He was very friendly and offered insights to the local life that we wouldn’t have been able to find out ourselves. We had... read more an infant baby with us and needed to stop half way through the tour to feed and change diapers for her. Emek was very understanding and we sat down for a coffee while also attending to our baby’s needs. Highly recommended!
ninhneo762 February 27, 2020
I was fortunate enough to travel to Helsinki, Finland and spend two days in the sprawling city. There is so much to see and do but by far the... read more greatest experience of the entire stay was the walking tour with Emek. There was not much detail about the walking tour and my girlfriend had signed us up on-line so we were unsure what to expect.
Not only is Emek a true pleasure to be around, his wealth of knowledge regarding Helsinki and the Finnish culture is impressive. It was a dreary March day with persistent drizzle, but Emek’s demeanor and personality quickly made us forget we were wet. I came away with much more knowledge of Helsinki than I could have thought possible in the short few hours of the tour. He imparted more tidbits of information from historic events and occupation, to modern preferences and practices, building and architectural styles to fashion, language, politics and religion. He answered all questions asked thoroughly and often elaborated to provide deeper context.
As Ross said, the groups are small (two couples in our tour) making discussion and questions easier and the whole experience more personal.
I would highly recommend taking Emek’s tour if you find yourself fortunate enough to be in Helsinki.
Thank you Emek!!
kalisilat March 13, 2020
We had a really nice morning with Emek! He was very accommodating with what we wanted to see and took us to the most interesting and beautiful buildings in Helsinki.... read more We also enjoyed the small lecture on the Finnish language - so very interesting!
kittyhead February 28, 2020
Incredible tour. Third time in Helsinki and this tour made it the best visit. Great stories and history. I cannot thank Emek enough.
Bryan January 3, 2020
This was a fantastic tour! Emek is a great communicator and has a wide and deep knowledge of Helsinki and Finland, and of the broader context in Europe and the... read more world. He was also extremely interactive and responded well to questions and interests we raised.
Edward April 24, 2025
Emek is a wonderful, personable, and knowledgeable guide! He was genuinely excited to teach us more about the history of Helsinki and Finland and was very receptive to questions. This... read more tour gave me a much deeper understanding and appreciation for Helsinki - 10/10 recommend!
Arielle Sylvia July 27, 2021
Emek was a fabulous guide and it was such a lovely way to get to know the history of Helsinki! Would do it again!
Paxton September 30, 2022
I highly recommend Emek’s tour of Helsinki. He is very knowledgeable about Finnish history, culture, and politics, and delivers a lot of information about both Helsinki and Finland more... read more broadly with personality and wit. I enjoyed the fact that it was a small international group of travelers with lots of interaction between both Emek and the guests and among the guests. The tour stays within the central district of the city but covers a lot of content over three hours. It was very conversational and flexible rather than highly scripted. Probably the best tour of this sort that I have ever taken.
David July 11, 2025
My husband and I booked this tour for the day after we arrived in Helsinki on honeymoon. Neither of us normally seek out tours on our trips, and for others... read more who are like us - it wasn't boring at all! It was a great way to get introduced to Helsinki/Finland, and to see some of the more notable landmarks through a historical lens, giving them context and meaning. Emek was a knowledgeable and personable guide. We appreciated that he was willing to weave in some of his own opinions and experience (when asked) into his well-crafted mini-lectures, that he had a sense of humor, and welcomed questions to make the experience personally relevant. He's kind of the quintessential favorite university professor. Thanks again, Emek! 🌞
Kayla August 22, 2024
Tanja was an incredible guide- she gave us a wonderful tour of the central city and really made our brief trip in Helsinki exceptional.
Lesley November 24, 2023
Wonderful introductory tour of Helsinki! Tour starting point was easy to find and we had a small group of American and Australian tourists. Emek is so knowledgable about Helsinki! He... read more tells you a lot of the history of the city to start out and then shows you some of the famous Finnish architectural landmarks. We learned quite a bit about the library culture in Helsinki with a stop at the gorgeous public library. Emek is available to ask any questions you have about the city or Finland. Truly a fascinating tour!
Danielle June 27, 2025
The tour was a very nice way to get to know more about Helsinki and Finland's history in general. Emek is a very knowledgeable person and he made sure to... read more answer all our questions. He also took us to the Oodi library, which is one of the most amazing places I've been. I really recommend it for the ones who want to know a bit more about the background of Helsinki and the Finnish society.
Luisa June 6, 2025
BUY A GIFT CARD!
Give your loved ones a great gift; a splendid tour with an expert, in the white city of the North, Helsinki!
Now you can buy tours as gift cards and they are redeemable anytime you want.